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Global Security Issues

MAIN IDEA
POWER AND AUTHORITY Since
1945, nations have used
collective security efforts to
solve problems.

WHY IT MATTERS NOW

Personal security of the people
of the world is tied to security
within and between nations.

TERMS & NAMES

proliferation
Universal
Declaration of
Human Rights
political dissent

gender
inequality
AIDS
refugee

SETTING THE STAGE World War II was one of historys most devastating

conflicts. More than 55 million people died as a result of bombings, the

Holocaust, combat, starvation, and disease. Near the end of the war, one of
humankinds most destructive weapons, the atomic bomb, killed more than
100,000 people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in a matter of minutes. Perhaps
because of these horrors, world leaders look for ways to make the earth a safer,
more secure place to live.
TAKING NOTES
Categorizing Use a
chart to list collective
methods employed by
the worlds nations to
increase global security.

Issues of War and Peace

In the years after the end of World War II, the Cold War created new divisions
and tensions among the worlds nations. This uneasy situation potentially threatened the economic, environmental, and personal security of people across the
world. So, nations began to work together to pursue collective security.
Nations Unite and Take Action Many nations consider that having a strong

Method

Examples

Form
NATO,
military SEATO,
alliances Warsaw Pact

military is important to their security. After World War II, nations banded
together to create military alliances. They formed the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO), the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO), the
Warsaw Pact, and others. The member nations of each of these alliances generally pledged military aid for their common defense.
In addition to military alliances to increase their security, world leaders also
took steps to reduce the threat of war. The United Nations (UN) works in a variety of ways toward increasing collective global security.
Peacekeeping Activities One of the major aims of the UN is to promote world

peace. The UN provides a public forum, private meeting places, and skilled
mediators to help nations try to resolve conflicts at any stage of their development. At the invitation of the warring parties, the UN also provides peacekeeping forces. These forces are made up of soldiers from different nations. They
work to carry out peace agreements, monitor cease-fires, or put an end to fighting to allow peace negotiations to go forward.
As of the end of 2002, the UN had close to 40,000 soldiers and police in 13
peacekeeping forces around the world. Some forces, such as those in India and
Pakistan, have been in place for decades. Others, such as those in East Timor,
achieved their goals in only a few months.

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Weapons of Mass Destruction

Nations have not only worked to

prevent and contain conflicts, they
also have forged treaties to limit the
manufacturing, testing, and trade of
weapons. The weapons of most concern are those that cause mass
destruction. These include nuclear,
chemical, and biological weapons
that can kill thousands, even millions of people.
In 1968, many nations signed a
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to
help prevent the proliferation, or
spread, of nuclear weapons to other
nations. In the 1970s, the United
States and the Soviet Union signed
the Strategic Arms Limitation
Treaties. In the 1980s, both countries
talked about deactivating some of their nuclear weapons. Many nations also signed
treaties promising not to produce biological or chemical weapons.
Disarming Iraq Other nations, however, have tried to develop weapons of mass

destruction. Iraq, for example, used chemical weapons in conflicts during the
1980s. Many people suspected that the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, had plans to
develop biological and nuclear weapons too. As part of the cease-fire arrangements
in the Persian Gulf War, Iraq agreed to destroy its weapons of mass destruction. UN
inspectors were sent to monitor this disarmament process. However, in 1998, the
Iraqis ordered the inspectors to leave.
In 2002, Saddam Hussein once again came under suspicion of developing
weapons of mass destruction. The UN Security Council issued a resolution threatening Iraq with severe consequences unless the weapons inspectors were allowed
to return. Iraq complied, but some UN members suspected that the Iraqis were not
fully cooperating with the inspectors. So, in March 2003, a coalition led by the
United States and Great Britain sent troops to disarm Iraq by force. After four
weeks of fighting, Saddam Husseins government fell.

In central
Baghdad, a U.S.
Marine watches as
a statue of Saddam
Hussein is pulled
down.

Ethnic and Religious Conflicts Conflicts among people of different racial,

national, religious, linguistic, or cultural groups are not new. Some struggles have
roots that reach back for decades and, in some cases, for centuries. Such conflicts
include those between Protestants and Catholics in Ireland, between Palestinians and
Israelis in the Middle East, and among Serbs, Bosnians, and Croats in the former
Yugoslavia.
Ethnic and religious conflicts have often led to terrible violence. People caught in
these conflicts sometimes suffered torture, or massacres of their whole towns or villages. The Kurds of southwest Asia have been the victims of such violence. For
decades, Kurds have wanted their own separate country. But their traditional lands
cross the borders of three nationsTurkey, Iran, and Iraq. In the past, the Turks
responded to Kurdish nationalism by forbidding Kurds to speak their native language.
The Iranians also persecuted the Kurds, attacking them over religious issues. In the
late 1980s, the Iraqis dropped poison gas on the Kurds, killing 5,000. Several international organizations, including the UN, are working to end the human rights abuses
inflicted upon the Kurds.
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Human Rights Issues

In 1948, the UN issued the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which set
human rights standards for all nations. It stated that All human beings are born
free and equal in dignity and rights. . . . Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and
security of person. The declaration further listed specific rights that all human
beings should have. Later, in the Helsinki Accords of 1975, the UN addressed the
issues of freedom of movement and freedom to publish and exchange information.
Both the declaration and the accords are nonbinding. However, the sentiments
in these documents inspired many people around the world. They made a commitment to ensuring that basic human rights are respected. The UN and other international agencies, such as Amnesty International, identify and publicize human rights
violations. They also encourage people to work toward a world in which liberty and
justice are guaranteed for all.

Vocabulary

A nonbinding
agreement means
that a nation does
not suffer a penalty
if it does not meet
the terms of the
declaration.

Continuing Rights Violations Despite the best efforts of various human rights

organizations, protecting human rights remains an uphill battle. Serious violations

of fundamental rights continue to occur around the world.
One type of violation occurs when governments try to
stamp out political dissent, or the difference of opinion
over political issues. In many countries around the world,
from Cuba to Iran to Myanmar, individuals and groups have
been persecuted for holding political views that differ from
those of the people in power. In some countries, ethnic or
racial hatreds lead to human rights abuses. In Rwanda, for
example, fighting between Hutus and Tutsisthe two main
ethnic groupsled to horrendous rights violations. In 1994,
Hutus massacred about 500,000 Tutsis in one of the worst
cases of genocide.
Womens Status Improves In the past, when women in
Mother Teresa 19101997
Mother Teresa was one of the great
champions of human rights for all
people. Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu
in what today is Macedonia, Mother
Teresa joined a convent in Ireland at
the age of 18. A short time later, she
headed to India to teach at a girls
school. Over time, she noticed many
sick and homeless people in the
streets. She soon vowed to devote
her life to helping Indias poor.
In 1948, she established the Order
of the Missionaries of Charity in
Calcutta, which committed itself to
serving the sick, needy, and
unfortunate. In recognition of her
commitment to the downtrodden,
Mother Teresa received the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1979.

RESEARCH LINKS For more on

Mother Teresa, go to classzone.com

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Western nations entered the work force, they often faced

discrimination in employment and salary. In non-Western
countries, many women not only faced discrimination in
jobs, they were denied access to education. In regions torn
by war or ethnic conflict, they were often victims of violence and abuse. As women suffered, so too did their family
members, especially children.
However, in the 1970s, a heightened awareness of human
rights encouraged women in many countries to work to
improve their lives. They pushed for new laws and government policies that gave them greater equality. In 1975, the
UN held the first of several international conferences on
womens status in the world. The fourth conference was
held in Beijing, China, in 1995. It addressed such issues as
preventing violence against women and empowering
women to take leadership roles in politics and in business.
In 2000, the UN reviewed the status of women. Its report,
titled Progress of the Worlds Women 2000, found that
women had made notable gains during the 1990s, especially
in the areas of education and work. Even so, the report concluded that gender inequalitythe difference between
men and women in terms of wealth and statusstill very
much existed.

Analyzing Issues
What responsibilities do nations
have for protecting
human rights in
other countries?

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World AIDS Situation, 2002

EASTERN EUROPE
& CENTRAL ASIA
WESTERN
EUROPE
NORTH AFRICA
& MIDDLE EAST

NORTH
AMERICA

REST OF ASIA
& PACIFIC

CARIBBEAN
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

LATIN
AMERICA

= 500,000 people living

with HIV/AIDS
= 50,000 people newly
infected with HIV in 2002
= 30,000 deaths from
AIDS in 2002
Source: UNAIDS/WHO, 2002

GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting Maps

1. Region Which region is confronted by the greatest challenge from the
AIDS epidemic?
2. Region Which region had the greatest number of new HIV infections
in 2002, Latin America or Eastern Europe and Central Asia?

Health Issues
In recent decades, the enjoyment of a decent standard of health has become recognized as a basic human right. However, for many people across the world, poor
health is still the norm. World health faced a major threat in 2003, with the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). This pneumonia-like disease
emerged in China and rapidly spread to other Asian countries, Europe, and North
America. Afraid of infection, many people canceled travel to Asia. The resulting
loss of business hurt the economies of several Asian countries.
The AIDS Epidemic Perhaps the greatest global health issue is a disease known as
AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome. It attacks the immune system,

leaving sufferers open to deadly infections. The disease was first detected in the
early 1980s. Since that time, AIDS has claimed the lives of nearly 25 million people worldwide. By the end of 2002, there were 42 million people across the world
living with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) or AIDS. And in 2002, 5 million people were newly infected with HIV.
While AIDS is a worldwide problem, Sub-Saharan Africa has suffered most
from the epidemic. About 70 percent of the worlds HIV and AIDS sufferers live in
this region. And in 2002, on average more than 6,500 people died of AIDS each
day. Most of the people dying are between the ages of 15 and 49the years when
people are at their most productive economically. AIDS, therefore, is reducing the
number of people available as workers, managers, and entrepreneurs. As a result,
economic growth is slowing in many countries in the region.
In response to the devastating impact of the disease, the UN issued the Declaration
of Commitment on HIV/AIDS in 2001. This document set targets for halting the
spread of AIDS and provided guidelines on how countries could pool their efforts.
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Population Movement
The global movement of people has increased dramatically in recent years. This migration has taken place for
both negative and positive reasons.
Push-Pull Factors People often move because they feel

pushed out of their homelands. Lack of food due to

drought, natural disasters, and political oppression are
examples of push factors of migration. In 2001 alone, the
number of refugeespeople who leave their country to
move to another to find safetystood at 12 million.
Not only negative events push people to migrate.
Most people have strong connections to their home
countries and do not leave unless strong positive attractions pull them away. They hope for a better life for
themselves and for their children, and thus migrate to
developed nations. For example, hundreds of thousands
of people migrate from Africa to Europe and from
Latin America to the United States every year.
Two Afghan girls
quietly wait for
food at a refugee
camp on the
Afghanistan-Iran
border.

SECTION

Effects of Migration Everyone has the right to leave his or her country. However,

the country to which a migrant wants to move may not accept that person. The
receiving country might have one policy about accepting refugees from political
situations, and another about migrants coming for economic reasons. Because of
the huge volume of people migrating from war-torn, famine-stricken, and politically unstable regions, millions of immigrants have no place to go. Crowded
into refugee camps, often under squalid conditions, these migrants face a very
uncertain future.
On the positive side, immigrants often are a valuable addition to their new country. They help offset labor shortages in a variety of industries. They bring experiences
and knowledge that can spur the economy. In addition, they contribute to the sharing,
shaping, and blending of a newly enriched culture.

Analyzing Causes
What push and
pull factors cause
people to migrate?

ASSESSMENT

TERMS & NAMES 1. For each term or name, write a sentence explaining its significance.
proliferation

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

political dissent

gender inequality

AIDS

refugee

USING YOUR NOTES

MAIN IDEAS

CRITICAL THINKING & WRITING

2. What methods have resulted

3. What steps have nations taken

6. MAKING INFERENCES Why might nations want to retain

in the greatest contribution

to global security? Why?

to control the proliferation of

weapons of mass destruction?
4. How has AIDS affected the

Method

Examples

Form
NATO,
military SEATO,
alliances Warsaw Pact

economy of Sub-Saharan
Africa?
5. What positive effects does

immigration have?

or develop an arsenal of nuclear, biological, and chemical

weapons?
7. IDENTIFYING PROBLEMS How are ethnic and religious

conflicts related to problems of global security?

8. RECOGNIZING EFFECTS How can individuals affect social

conditions around the world? Consider the example of

Mother Teresa when writing your answer.
9. WRITING ACTIVITY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Write a

paragraph explaining how advances in science and

technology have increased threats to global security.

CONNECT TO TODAY CREATING A DATABASE

Locate recent information on refugees around the world. Use your findings to create a
database of charts and graphs titled The Global Refugee Situation.

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